Investors sought to produce IPTN N-250 and N-270
Investors sought to produce IPTN N-250 and N-270
JAKARTA (JP): American Regional Aircraft Industry Inc.
(Amrai), a joint venture between PT Industri Pesawat Terbang
Nusantara (IPTN) and General Electric of the United States, is
seeking investors to produce the N-250 and N-270 aircraft.
"We're offering 50 percent of the stake in this company to
other investors," Louis F. Harrington, the president of Amrai
told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
He said that IPTN will have a 40 percent stake, while General
Electric will have a 10 percent stake in the aircraft
manufacturing company.
According to Harrington, the initial investment for aircraft
production will be about US$30 million.
He said that basic assembly of the two airplanes will be done
at IPTN's industrial complex in Bandung, West Java.
"But for the airplanes to be sold on the American market, we
have to do the final assembly in the United States to tailor them
with the local need. For other markets, all assembly will be done
in Indonesia," he said.
The turboprop airliner N-250 will have a seating capacity for
64 passengers, while the N-270 has a 70-passenger capacity. Both
have a maximum speed of over 600 kilometers per hour.
Harrington claimed that the market for these kinds of aircraft
will be good, particularly in North, Central and South America.
He said that during the period between 1996 and 2015, North
America alone will require 2,034 planes of the N-250 and N-270
types.
"We target to reach a market share of 25 percent or about 500
units of the two types by 2025 on the market," he said.
He said the N-250 is now undergoing a flight test and will
receive certification in 1998. "Later in 1998, we hope that we
can make the first delivery of N-250," he said.
He said that Amrai -- based in Mobile, Alabama -- and IPTN
will begin development of the N-270 next month. The N-270 will
make its maiden flight in late 1998, and is expected to receive
its certification in the third quarter of 1999.
Harrington noted that Amrai will be able to make the first
delivery of N-270 in the third quarter of 1999.
CN-235
IPTN signed an agreement yesterday with a number of Australian
aerospace companies to study a range of options for future
development and sales of the CN-235, including the manufacture
and production of the Phoenix CN-235 in Australia.
IPTN's president, B.J. Habibie, who is also the state minister
of research and technology, said that the Phoenix CN-235 is the
CN-235, which is tailored to local needs in Australia.
The Australian companies include Hawker de Havilland, Hawker
Pacific, Honeywell and Aerospace Technical Services.
According to Habibie, Indonesia will participate in an
international tender to be held by Australia for the procurement
of military aircraft of the N-235 type.
Habibie said that IPTN is currently very active in Australia
to win the tender. "We're offering them the N-235 type that can
be developed to the needs of the Australian military. This will
be a big contract, because that country is going to replace
dozens of military airplanes with the N-235 type," he said.
He said that if IPTN wins the contract, Australia will buy CN-
235 fixed-wing military aircraft under an offset arrangement.
An offset is a trade arrangement whereby the buyer agrees to
the purchase of goods on the condition that the seller accepts a
certain part of the payment in the form of aircraft components.
"We hope that we'll win the tender," he said.
Habibie said that the air show's organizing committee had
changed the schedules and the ticket prices for the public days.
The public days will start from today until Sunday. Originally,
the public day would start from Friday to Saturday.
The organizing committee also cut the ticket price from Rp
50,000 ($21.6) to Rp 20,000 for public visitors and is providing
special ticket prices for students -- Rp 10,000 for high school
students and Rp 5,000 for junior high school students. (13)